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A week after the bombings in Boston and the catastrophic explosion in Texas, key federal agencies have unveiled or are refining their plans to furlough tens of thousands of workers, including those who protect the country and those who collect the money to pay the bills, Senior Correspondent Mike Causey says. And this makes sense because...

Anybodys guess at this point! All in all I do not see these times being very pretty because of the backlash. What I question in all of this is "does it really need to be this way"? One side of me says that there needs to be cuts, and the other side questions the authenticity of the true meaning of the furloughs and if they are needed at all. I would like to believe that there is a true problem in our monitary system but some in the Congress and the Senate continues to spend more money rather than cut spending. Something is very wrong with this equation. I want everyone to remember what is going on right now, and when Mid Term elections role around, let these days we are experiencing help you to decide who stays in office and who are asked to leave and never come back!

I'm convinced that there are some elected officials who are bound and determined to ensure the full effects of sequestration are felt by the public. I know it's hard for some to fathom the idea that politicians would sink to such a level, but unfortunately this is what politics have become.

Who else should feel the full effects of sequestration? Only federal employees? ..... Government services are paid for by taxpayers. The best way for them to see the services their taxes finance is to expereince what happens when they're gone.

Besides having to raise big campaign war chests, politicians get side benefits that all add up to big bucks so I doubt if they will change their ways. According to the 2011 Bad Business report from POGO.ORG, we are paying atleast 1.83 times more for contracting out work. Theoretically, you could just keep all the workers and move them into the Govt and save $B's. I understand companies get to deduct losses for their outsourcing costs. How about we drop that one? Companies get to be registered in the US and do not pay taxes on income made on overseas sales, but get to deduct costs for doing business overseas. They also get US State Dept support if their host country starts giving them problems. No wonder there are foreigners trying to set up business in the US. How about if you are a US company, then you pay the full taxes on all income? All foreign company sales in US pay Federal and State taxes? The list could go on, but our US politicians would not reap the benefits so those ideas are non-starters. Capitolism has its down side if the law makers get kick-backs from it.

Dear Mike, For the love of God, we at NIH have just been told there was an OMB ruling concluding that the PE tap is NOT reduced by the Sequester, or $36 MILLION miscalculation for NIH to re-budget.
NIH is the premier health agency for the USA and the Sequester negatively impacts Grants for universities in nearly every State in the Union. What are the elected officials on the Shining Hill thinking? They are thinking: I can still call any Insititute Director at NIH and rececive "premier" healthcare, either treatment or advice for themselves or their own family members. I don't believe they are "feeling it", so what is the hurry for them?
My wish is the voters remember the bad behavior of their elected representatives or mis-representatives.
NIH Employee

Mike -- here's another response for the "whadda you do when" for you: "Congress mandates that the Defense Department must cut triple-X number of bazillion dollars from its budget, but WILL NOT let them close unneeded infrastructure, or mothball old ships and planes that they don't use any more, and insists they continue to buy more of the same type of weapons they no longer need."

Mike: To answer your last series of questions (Suppose there is an even more serious (than Boston) event, attack or incident while DoD is semi-closed for business. ... What happens if something happens?) ... I think the best answer the Government SHOULD provide is that a furlough day will be handled essentially the same as any weekend/holiday is currently handled by that federal agency. The impacts SHOULD be primarily to the non-essential or non-critical functions the Government performs ... and let's face it, some federal agencies (or divisions within agencies) are not as essential/critical as others. However, that does not appear to be how all the agencies are handling things. The individual agency head is making the decision of how to furlough their employees. So, who will take the hit? I say it will ultimately be the agency head who made the decision of "how" to furlough his/her employees will be the one to take the 'real' hit. But, I don't discount that both political parties will find a way to blame the other some how/some way.

Everyone says their activity is essential and can justify it. Therefore, everyone should suffer the loss of pay. And definitely yes, the public should suffer the loss of services due to this stupid sequestration. Maybe the public will understand better what feds are going through.
I have read that various airport passengers are suffering delays. Hope they know why.